Pittsburgh mom shares her story after surviving a widow maker heart attack, "I was lucky enough to be saved."
Here's a question that may sound a little silly, but it's a serious one: How well do you pay attention to your body?
A teacher and mom of three, considered healthy and under the age of 40, suffered a serious heart attack, and now she has life-saving advice, especially for women.
Less than 12% of people who suffer from this are able to share their story, and Brooke Riederer is one of them.
"I was lucky enough to be saved," she said.
Riederer suffered from a serious heart attack known as a "widow maker." It happened when she was 37, and she's thankful she's able to share her story to help those who could be at risk.
"I didn't know what to think when it was happening to me, because it all happened so quickly," she recalled.
She described it as a typical snow day: her kids were playing at their Ross Township home while she was shoveling snow.
"I started to have a little bit of chest pain and I thought, 'Maybe I'm pushing the shovel weird or something, I'm going to keep going,'" Riederer said.
As she continued to shovel the snow, the symptoms persisted.
"[Then], I had nausea and dizziness," she said.
Eventually, she went back inside, sat down, and began to feel better.
"That's something important to know: is that I feel OK," Riederer said.
The problem, however, is that she wasn't. She ended up calling a friend, who is a nurse, and was encouraged to go to the hospital. Once she arrived at AHN Wexford, Riederer had bloodwork done, and the results were concerning.
Dr. Samer Azouz gave her the terrifying news.
"I said based on the blood test that you're having a heart attack," Dr. Azouz recalled.
She was shocked. It turns out, her main artery was 99% blocked. Nurses quickly moved her into another room to have surgery. Like many women, she didn't experience the typical signs of having a heart attack. There was no typical chest pain, sweating, or trouble breathing.
Instead, there are other signs that women should look out for.
"Jaw pain, where she feels like it's a dental-related issue," Dr. Azouz said. "Mid-back pain, upper-back pain that just comes back and forth."
Because those symptoms can be so mild, being aware and speaking up is important.
Just ask Riederer. It saved her life.
"I always tell women and moms, it's a couple of hours, go get checked out, the worst that could happen is they'll say you're fine, and that's a blessing," she said.
